Aussie Fashion Week Criticized for Promoting Pre-Teens Edit

The decision to make a 12 year old schoolgirl “the face” of the Gold Coast Fashion Week festival has sparked fierce debate over the sexualisation of children in Australia. 12 year old Maddison Gabriel drew strong negative reactions from Prime Minister John Howard and other politicians across the political spectrum. “Catapulting girls as young as 12 into something like that is quite outrageous and I am totally opposed to it and think most Australians would feel the same way,” Howard said.